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Mayor Weaver is excited that the C.S. Mott Foundation has awarded the City of Flint a grant of more than $400,000. Flint’s Interim Chief Financial Officer, David Sabuda attended a City Council committee meeting Wednesday evening to provide members with additional information about the grant so they could move it forward to the full council for discussion and approval. However members decided to postpone the vote, they instead sent the resolution to another committee for further discussion.

“I was disappointed,” said Mayor Weaver. “Money is something this city doesn’t have a lot of right now, but more funding is needed to ensure a successful recovery. When I was campaigning for mayor I said the city needed a grant writer to help secure more resources. I think it’s wonderful that the Mott Foundation agrees the position is needed and is willing to provide the funds that will allow us to hire an experienced professional.”

The Mott Foundation has given the City of Flint a grant for $417,199. The grant will help the city fill a number of positions by providing funding to: hire a grant writer, hire an executive search company to fill the water plant supervisor position, increase the salary offered for the Director of Public Works position which has been turned down by highly qualified candidates because the city could not meet their pay requirements.

Weaver said she will continue to reach out to local and national philanthropies in effort to secure additional funding to help the City of Flint move forward.
“It is my hope that the council will be supportive of the administration’s attempts to bring in resources to the city and help to move things along as quickly as possible,” said Weaver. “If people feel like working with the city will be difficult, or things will take longer than necessary, they won’t get involved or they’ll send the money elsewhere and we won’t have a say in how the funds are used.”

Council members are expected to discuss the Mott Foundation grant at another committee meeting Monday, January 9, which will be followed by a Council meeting. In the meantime, the administration will work to answer any remaining questions members have about the grant and hope the grant will be approved by the committee and the full board on Monday.

The following is a statement from Flint Mayor Karen Weaver on the Michigan Strategic Fund’s vote today to fund the Flint Grocer Improvement Program. The four stores on the north end of Flint that will benefit from today’s vote are Mr. B’s Foodland on Dupont Street, Hutchinson Food and Drug on Saginaw Street, Landmark Food Center on Pierson Road and the Local Grocer on Martin Luther King Avenue.

“Today’s vote by the Michigan Strategic Fund is an important step toward making groceries more accessible to residents on the north side of Flint,” said Mayor Weaver. “These grocers have stood by Flint and its residents, and we’re thrilled that they will be supported in their efforts to improve their offerings in the year ahead.

FLINT, Mich. — The following is a statement from Flint Mayor Karen Weaver regarding news that the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund has awarded a grant to fund park improvements in Genesee County.

“We are excited to learn of the grant that has been awarded by the state which could be used to support the Flint Riverfront Restoration Project. There are some details that still need to be worked out. We look forward to discussing ways we can redevelop Chevy Commons and the Riverfront, help boost the local economy, and improve the overall quality of life in the City of Flint.”

FLINT, Mich. — The following is a statement from Flint Mayor Karen Weaver in response to the U.S. House passage of a $170 million Flint aid package.

“Today the U.S. House did something we’ve long been waiting for, by voting for a $170 million package that would help the City of Flint recover from the water crisis that has affected our city for two and a half years. I want to thank Congressman Dan Kildee for his tireless work to obtain this money, which we’ll be able to use to remove even more lead-tainted pipes through my FAST Start initiative.

“I strongly urge the same approval be given Friday in the U.S. Senate, where Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters have been pushing hard to pass this aid for Flint. We need this funding to help replace the city’s damaged and aging water infrastructure and to provide resources to our children who have suffered from ingesting lead-tainted water through no fault of their own. I am hopeful the Senate will see how critical this funding is for the people of Flint and pass the bills to help our community move forward on the road to recovery.”

Details:The holiday season is upon us! The Weaver Administration would like to invite the entire community to Flint City Hall Friday, December 2, 2016 for a Tree Lighting Ceremony/Holiday Kick Off event. We recognize that this has been a challenging year for the citizens and the city, but this is an ideal time to come together, be thankful for the progress that has been made, and celebrate the holiday season.

In addition to honoring our local police and firefighters with trees lit with blue and red lights we will also have a tree lit with white lights to represent unity and peace. We’ve called on many community partners and retailers to help make this year’s event a little more special than recent years, and we are pleased to report they have answered the call!

Flint’s own community choir “Cho’Zen” will lead the crowd in singing a medley of carols. Once the tree lighting ceremony is complete, everyone will be invited into the lobby of City Hall for free refreshments including hot chocolate provided by Walli’s Family Restaurant, coffee and juice provided by McDonald’s and Timbits provided by Tim Hortons. There will also be other treats and surprises thanks to a monetary donation from Pasty Lou Automotive and gift cards from Meijer, Sam’s Club, Kroger and Wal-Mart. We hear Santa plans to stop by the event, so with help from the ReCAST Grant which is geared toward children’s outreach, we’ve secured Making Memories Photography Studio to come take pictures. Kids from the Flint community will be able to have their picture taken with Santa and Mayor Weaver.

Home Depot has donated hundreds of toy building kits for the children who attend. There will be other fun things for the entire family to enjoy including music from the Flint Institute of Music’s Dort Honors String Quartet. We hope everyone will come out this Friday,December 2nd as we kick off the holiday season in the City of Flint and spread some holiday cheer!

FLINT, Mich. —Lead-tainted service lines at 460 homes have been replaced so far as part of Mayor Karen Weaver’s FAST Start initiative, with 55 homes getting new copper pipes last week.

Crews from two area companies are replacing lead and galvanized steel service lines leading from the street to the water meter in residents’ homes during this third phase of the FAST Start initiative, extending the mayor’s efforts to restore safe, clean drinking water to Flint residents. A total of 788 homes are set to get new pipes this fall.

Work crews plan to replace service pipes this week at homes on Copeman Boulevard and Begole Street between Forest Hill Avenue and Ballenger Highway; on Cumings Avenue between Pershing and Downey Street; and on Leland and Crawford streets and Alvord Avenue between South Grand Traverse Street and Fenton Road.

Mayor Weaver launched the FAST Start initiative to help resolve a number of problems created after a state-appointed emergency manager switched the City’s water source to the Flint River in 2014 without the necessary corrosion control chemicals being added. The corrosive water removed a protective coating on the inside of the pipes, causing lead to leach into the water flowing to homes and businesses in the City of Flint.

While the level of lead in Flint’s water supply has been substantially reduced since the city switched back a year ago to water delivered from Lake Huron by the Great Lakes Water Authority, residents are still being urged to drink only filtered water, and to replace their filters when needed.

So far, crews have installed new service lines at a total of 460 residences in Flint and capped the lines at three abandoned homes. Mayor Weaver’s goal is to have residents in 1,000 homes receive new pipes by the end of the year, and for thousands more to get new service lines in 2017.

Mayor Karen Weaver has received a letter from State Treasurer Nick Khouri stating the Water Relief program in the City of Flint has officially been extended through December 31, 2016. The program has provided residential customers with a 65% credit on the water charges of their utility account and commercial customers with a 20% credit dating back to April 2014 when the City’s water source was switched to the Flint River.

The $12.75 million in relief provided in the current State of Michigan budget includes a stipulation requiring the City to have a 70% collection rate on water/sewer bills. In order for the credits to stay in place, the City must show that customers are paying their bills as required by the state. Though the collection rate has not been achieved, state treasury officials acknowledged the recent progress made through the collection program for commercial customers and the upcoming start of the collection program for residential accounts. In a successful and ongoing effort to meet state guidelines, City officials have worked with customers and increased the collection rate of commercial utility accounts to 76%.

“The City of Flint welcomes the extension and acknowledgment that good progress is being made in our collections,” said David Sabuda Flint’s Chief Financial Officer. “We thank the commercial customers who have complied with the program and now we are asking residents to do the same and help the City cover the cost of water and sewer services being provided. Doing so will benefit all our customers as our community works to move past the worst days of the man-made water disaster.”

Starting next week, along with their utility bills, residential customers with past due balances will receive a letter informing them they must pay the current balance on their utility account plus 10% of past due balances. The letter will also explain what is at stake if the balance on their water/sewer account remains past due. Customers who do not make the required payment will not receive the 65% relief credits in December, a late penalty will be added to their account, and shut offs will be scheduled. This plan is necessary to help the City increase its collection rate and preserve the credit program for all utility customers as the City of Flint continues to recover from the effects of the water crisis.

Earlier this year, the state provided $30 million in water relief credits. The funds were used to apply credits to customers’ utility accounts for the period of April 2014 through April 2016. Subsequent water relief credits of $8.1 million have also been applied to accounts of residential and commercial customers.

Again, residential customers should expect a letter with their next utility bill informing them of the program, its benefits, and what they can do to help make sure the credits continue for as long as possible. Those not current on their water bills will not receive the relief credit on their next bill, and their accounts will once again be subject to the late interest on past due balances. Furthermore, commercial customers who do not pay their monthly payment plus 10% of the previous balance will be placed on a shut off list.

“We are willing to work with residents unable to meet the full terms of the payment requirement, but we City officials must also show the state that our customers are paying for the services we provide,” stated Sabuda.

Customers with financial hardships who want to ensure that their credits stay in place and that they are not placed on the shut off list, should come to City Hall to discuss payment options with a representative in the Customer Service Center. Customers with questions can also call the Customer Service Center at (810) 766-7015.

Statement from Flint Mayor Weaver on Order from Federal Judge Regarding Water Deliveries:

“I have always been a proponent for clean safe drinking water, the people of Flint deserve nothing less. We appreciate the judge’s order and agree that clean water should be easily accessible to everyone in the City of Flint and more needs to be done to make that happen. We will do everything we can to abide by the order including reaching out to leaders at the state level for help.

We also know that making sure everyone has access to bottled water is just an immediate and temporary fix. We can’t rely on bottled water forever. The people of Flint should be able to turn on their faucets and get safe clean water without a filter, and that is our ultimate goal.

We continue to make progress with the FAST Start pipe replacement initiative and are working to gain additional resources to be able to replace even more lead-tainted pipes in Flint and eliminate the ongoing effects of this man-made water disaster for good.”

Flint Fire Chief, Raymond Barton and members of the Flint Fire Department have planned several activities in honor of this very important time. They began with honoring their own Monday, showing appreciation for firefighters who have gone above and beyond putting their lives on the line to help save Flint residents in recent house fires. For the remainder of this week, firefighters will focus on educating students from Flint schools teaching them the dos and don’ts of fire prevention in hopes of keeping them out of similar situations.

Today, fourth and fifth graders from Doyle Ryder Elementary School were invited to Fire Station 1 to meet firefighters and learn firsthand about the important job they do. Students were taught about kitchen safety and they got to experience what many firefighters face when they have to make their way through a smoked-filled room to find someone who needs to be rescued.

Mayor Weaver stopped by just as the students were finding out how difficult it is to handle a fire hose and maneuver it just right so the water gets where it needs to be.

“Wow, this is a really great experience,” said Mayor Weaver. “To see what firefighters go through and all they do is really eye-opening. It takes a special person to do this kind of work. It makes me appreciate the firefighters serving the City of Flint even more.”

Wednesday and Thursday from Noon to 2:30 p.m. a different group of students will have a chance to learn safe practices in the event of a fire at home and get a taste of what firefighters do during search and rescue. Friday the department will hold its second annual “Firefighter for a Day” event. High school students will participate in a variety of demonstrations with fire trucks, fire hoses, extrication tools, first responder equipment, bunker gear and more. Students will also learn the history of the Flint Fire Department and gain experience through group training and fire prevention activities. The one day camp will be lead by the department’s Training Division and assisted by firefighting personnel.

On Saturday, Flint residents are invited to visit the fire station in their ward for a “Community Open House” from12:00-3:00 p.m.Firefighters will be on hand to answer fire safety related questions. Residents will be able to sign-up for a smoke alarm install. There will be free food and lots of fun! Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Lead-tainted service lines at 192 homes have been replaced so far as part of Mayor Karen Weaver’s FAST Start initiative, with 29 homes getting new copper pipes last week. Rainy weather kept work crews from replacing even more pipes, but they’re on track to finish at least 200 homes by the end of this week, completing the second phase of the FAST Start program.

Crews from three area companies are replacing lead and galvanized steel service lines leading from the street to the water meter in residents’ homes during this second phase of the FAST Start initiative, extending the mayor’s efforts to restore safe, clean drinking water to Flint residents.

“Rain this past week slowed work, but crews won’t quit until they get lead-tainted pipes replaced at 200 homes or more in this second phase of FAST Start,” Mayor Karen Weaver said. “We’re on track to soon begin the third phase of FAST Start and replace service lines at hundreds more homes this fall.”

Crews are scheduled to continue to replace service pipes this week at homes on Dartmouth Street between Brownell Boulevard and Trumbull Avenue; Ida Street between Miller Road and Corunna Road; Boston Avenue between Miller Road and Becker Street; and Durand Street between Miller Road and Corunna Road.

Mayor Weaver launched the FAST Start initiative to help resolve a number of problems created after a state-appointed emergency manager switched the City’s water source to the Flint River in 2014 without the necessary corrosion control chemicals being added. The corrosive water removed a protective coating on the inside of the pipes, causing lead to leach into the water flowing to homes and businesses in the City of Flint.

While the level of lead in Flint’s water supply has been reduced significantly since the city switched back to water delivered from Lake Huron by the Great Lakes Water Authority a year ago, residents are still being urged to drink only filtered water, and to replace their filters when needed.

During the first phase of FAST Start earlier this year, service pipes to 33 homes were replaced.